Is This It?

"The greater fool is someone with the perfect blend of self-delusion and ego to think he can succeed where others have failed." This podcast was certainly made by greater fools. The boys welcome back on of the all time great fools, Buzzfeed News' Eric Morrow, to discuss HBO's oft-mocked, supremely self-serious media drama The Newsroom. In this episode, Ethan and Eric alienate Brian by discussing the journalism industry for way too long, before Eric alienates Ethan and Brian and all the listeners by making us watch a three minute Youtube clip live on the recording. Seriously, though, we think there's some good stuff in here, and we hope ya'll enjoy it. The Newsroom is a ridiculous show. Also, as announced in this episode, we will be taking a brief hiatus due to the start of the new school year. We will return in October with a full month of spooky Halloween episodes for ya'll. 

Okay, so, we had a traditional episode recorded for this a few weeks ago and somehow lost the files for it. It was bound to happen. We don't know what we're doing. We apologized profusely to Josh and recorded a new one where we just kinda ramble a bit about Umbrella Academy for a while, talk about Josh's in-the-works Avatar the Last Airbender podcast, and touch on a variety of other topics that interest us. We make some special time for discussion of Lost, a show near, if not dear, to our hearts, and unfortunately we even fulfill our contractual obligations as podcast hosts to do a few minutes about how wack the most recent Star Wars movie was. We hope this episode will be a bit of a palette cleanser for you guys, and a lesson for us to back up our files. 

"Sorry. I over-honeyed it. I suck at tea." Brian and Ethan return yet again to Mystic Falls, still on the hunt for anything resembling a diary. We definitely don't find that, but we do find that in the 20-something episodes that we skipped, THE Vampire Diaries has gotten WILD. Everyone is a vampire (and some are werewolves too), everyone is making decisions for Elena about whether or not she can make her own decisions, and the 150-year old vampire men are still lusting after the teenage girls. Uggggghhhh. 

"You brought me to see a girl movie." Brian and Ethan descend again on the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, for our first ever return to a show! Will the boys talk about the time they got caught sneaking into a movie theater for 15 minutes? (Yes.) Will the boys discover any trace of anyone writing in, or even owning, a diary? (No.) Will the boys continue to realize the genuinely disturbing nature of the romantic relationships in this show? (Ugh...yes.) 

"People make fun of Jersey girls, but I think they're just jealous." In another way-too-long episode, Ethan, Brian and Ethan's brother Forrest plug their noses (and at times their eyes and ears) to plunge down into the world of the Real Housewives. Does these three Jersey boys think this show gives a fair portrayal of their home state? The answer might surprise you!

"I can't adopt a baby!" Brian and Ethan reluctantly welcomed Anthony, their first returning guest, into the Hillcrest studio to discuss the Season 1 finale of Shonda Rhimes smash-hit series Scandal, titled "Grant: For the People". Anthony was clearly intent on breaking his benchmarks for longest episode and most material edited due to potentially offensive content, and, surprise surprise, he succeeded on both accounts. Highlights include discussion of whether or not George H.W. Bush is a fan of the podcast, Keri Washington's anti-Queer Eye scandal team, and more discussion of the boys' school theater days. Lowlights include more discussion of "prestige tv" and, well, probably lots of other stuff. Some good jokes, though. Good energy, ya know?  

In this episode, Ethan and Brian saddle up again and return to the unfamiliar world of Middle America to dive into the "season finale" Netflix's original sitcom "The Ranch". Joined by their good friend and fellow content creator Mark (@mostfamousmark), the boys unprofessionally interview Mark about his experience documenting his fruit and veggie intake, warily explore consuming art made by horrible people, and reluctantly discuss the Ashton-Kutcher-with-a-shitty-accent vehicle "The Ranch." A wide variety of lowlights include Ethan stumbling his way through an attempt to discuss "surprisingly" well-rounded female characters. He's still embarrassed about it even as he types these very words! Enjoy!

"I think we're trapped in a funky time loop!" In this episode, Ethan, Brian and special guest Matt get thoroughly charmed by the Charmed Ones as they watch the Season 1 finale of Charmed, titled "Deja Vu All Over Again." The boys discuss surfing, David Carradine and his unfortunate demise, and our favorite Charmed sister, Pruehallalal. Check it!

"Your ass is mine now. You're done. I've got witnesses." Brian and Ethan are joined by a very special guest, Buzzfeed's News Curation editor Eric Morrow, to take a look at the Season 1 finale of Amazon Prime's police drama Bosch. The boys try (and largely fail) to figure out what the f**k is going on in this show plot-wise, but also try (and perhaps succeed) to figure out whether or not this show is "cop-aganda". Strap on your ear cans, gaze out your window wistfully and repress your feelings about your relationship with your parents - it's Bosch time, baby.

"You made out with his mother and then beat him to a pulp. You're going to have to do a little bit better than sorry". Brian and Ethan get back to the basics, returning to their classic no guests format that first attracted loyal listeners to the show. The boys watched the season 1 finale of CW's The Vampire Diaries, titled "Founder's Day." Grab your stake, rub raw garlic all over your face and tune in! Highlights include Brian detailing his harrowing late night bathroom experiences, the boys' general confusion about who is and isn't a vampire, and some surprisingly genuine enthusiasm about the season's big twist ending.